MANILA – The Philippines has maintained its high ranking in the latest Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report of the United States, with the country “fully meeting the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.”
The report, published on Monday, cited the country’s “serious and sustained efforts” against human trafficking, including investigating, prosecuting, and convicting more traffickers, including complicit officials, and sentencing the majority of convicted traffickers to significant prison terms, the report mentioned.
It also cited the Philippine government’s efforts in fighting “industrial-scale human trafficking” in online scam operations, including by banning Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) licenses.
Meanwhile, the TIP Report recommended to the Philippine government to “investigate and prosecute traffickers, including labor traffickers and complicit officials, and seek adequate penalties for convicted traffickers, which should involve significant prison terms.”
It also pushed for increase efforts to “proactively identify and assist labor trafficking victims, including by providing training to law enforcement, social service providers, and labor inspectors on indicators of trafficking,” among others.
This is the 10th consecutive year that the Philippines has retained its Tier 1 ranking in the TIP report.
The TIP report explained though, that the Tier placement is based not on the “size of a country’s problem, but on the extent of government efforts to meet the Trafficking Victims Protection Act’s (TVPA) minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking”.
“While Tier 1 is the highest ranking, it does not mean that a country has no human trafficking problem or that it is doing enough to address the crime,” the report said.
“Rather, a Tier 1 ranking indicates that a government has made efforts to address the problem, such as demonstrating appreciable progress each year in combating trafficking, and met the TVPA’s minimum standards. Tier 1 represents a responsibility rather than a reprieve,” the report added.
